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Golden State Challenge Series heads to the foothills for Round 4 on Easter weekend
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – March 18, 2008…The Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Sprint Car Series will make its way to the high banked, action packed bullring of Placerville Speedway this Saturday night for the fourth round of competition in the ’08 season. Current point leader Jason Meyers, who has won the past two events with the series, isn’t expected to be in action this weekend which will open the door for several hopefuls.
Also taking place on Saturday will be an Easter Egg hunt for the youngsters during intermission. This is always a fun time for the kids and we invite everyone to come out and enjoy your Easter weekend at the Placerville Speedway as some of the top drivers in the west coast sprint car scene invade the ¼ mile dirt track.
The Placerville Speedway is the closest the Golden State Challenge Series gets each year to the capital city of Sacramento, which is located just 40 minutes from the town of Placerville. The ¼ mile famous for its trademark red clay is a home to 360 sprint car racing for much of the year, but whenever the 410’s make their way to Placerville, the fans from Sacramento and the surrounding areas seem to flock to the track in large numbers.
With Meyers out of the picture this weekend it will change the pace of things when the Golden State Challenge Series convenes at the high banks of Placerville on Saturday. San Jose’s Tim Kaeding currently ranks second in points and will make his Placerville Speedway return this weekend aboard the potent Tom Rolfe Racing No. 10. Kaeding is the only driver to have finished in the top five during all three events so far and will be chasing season win number one at a track he hasn’t competed at since 2004, but has seen a lot of success at during his career.
Kaeding has won five traveling 410 sprint car main events in his career at Placerville, which includes his first career NARC/GSC win that came during Speedweek in 1999. The former King of California is also the track record holder with a blistering lap of 9.913, which came aboard Dennis Roth’s 83jr. in ’04. Kaeding goes into Placerville eight points behind Meyers for the lead and will assume the point if Meyers in fact doesn’t compete during the night. TK and the No. 10 team will only be around for a few more weeks however, as they will make their way back east to meet up with the World of Outlaws in Ohio during the second weekend in April.
Chico’s Jonathan Allard is currently third in points, just four digits behind Kaeding for the runner-up spot. Along with Meyers and Kaeding, Allard is the only other driver to have finished amongst the top 10 in each of the first three races. The former King of California is another driver who has experienced success at the Placerville Speedway in the past and has been one of most consistent since joining the Oakhurst, CA based Williams Motorsports team in ‘05. In six GSC starts at the track for the No. 0 team Allard has finished second or better in all but one, including a victory during “Wild Winged Wednesday” in his championship year of ’06.
In his first season back in a handful of years as a full-time winged sprint car driver, Los Angeles’ Tyler Walker currently rounds out the top five in the GSC standings aboard the SC Motorsports No. 24. Walker was running in the top five last Friday in Watsonville when he caught the wall with just six laps left relegating him to a 12th place finish. The high banks of Placerville should be a great venue to watch Walker’s hard charging style.
Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs has solidly put himself into the sixth spot in the current points as he starts his second season of competition with the Golden State Challenge Series. The 21 year-old driver of the Suggs Racing No. 33e got his first taste of the Placerville Speedway last season and brought home a ninth place finish during the June event.
Sacramento’s Mike Henry is always a top competitor at the Placerville bullring and returns to the track with his new team sitting seventh in the GSC point standings. The always exciting driver won the Placerville title in 2002 and will be chasing his first GSC win this weekend at his home track aboard the HMH Motorsports No. 93.
Former King of California Jason Statler sits eighth in points and will look to change his luck this weekend aboard his familiar DF Rios Construction No. 00. The Los Gatos veteran got upside down last Friday at Ocean Speedway and finished 18th in the main event. Statler has always been strong at Placerville however, and won a GSC main event at the track in 2004, the same year he won the title.
Campbell’s Brent Kaeding will also be looking to get into a groove this weekend in Placerville and improve upon his ninth place ranking in the current standings. The 13-time & defending King of California has uncharacteristically struggled during the first few events, which has been surprising after coming off a season that saw him win a total of 16 main events, including eight with the Golden State Challenge Series. The driver of the Al’s Roofing Supply No. 69 is always one of the drivers to beat at the Placerville Speedway though and will most certainly be a driver to watch for this weekend.
The GSC June event last season at the Placerville bullring saw BK and Auburn driver Andy Forsberg put on one of the best wheel to wheel duels for the lead that race fans had seen in years. In the end B. Kaeding won out, but Forsberg’s run couldn’t go unnoticed as the three-time Civil War champ & driver of the A & A Motorsports No. 92 reminded fans why he’s nicknamed “Mr. Excitement.” There is no driver more thrilling to watch at Placerville than Forsberg and he’ll be looking to accomplish a long time goal this Saturday by winning a 410 sprint car main event for the first time at the track he calls home.
A couple drivers who always get their elbows at Placerville include Elk Grove’s Greg Decaires and Placerville’s Andy Gregg. Decaires is the two-time and defending Placerville Speedway champion and is coming off a fine fifth place finish a couple weeks ago at Chico’s Mini Gold Cup aboard Mark Redmund’s No. 39. The last time the veteran visited GSC or NARC victory lane came when he won a curfew shortened feature at Placerville Speedway for Morrie Williams Motorsports during opening night of Speedweek 1996.
Andy Gregg will look to hold up local honors this Saturday when he brings his Guts Racing No. 16x to do battle. Gregg came very close last March to winning a Golden State Challenge Series main event at the track, only to have last lap contact take his shot away. The 28 year-old driver is coming off a solid Mini Gold Cup that saw him qualify second fastest on Saturday night and back it up with an eighth place finish in the A-main. Other possible entries this weekend will include Loomis’ Kyle Hirst, Tracy’s Jason Botsford, Discovery Bay’s Jim Skinner, Fresno’s Mark Workentine, Fremont’s Brent Bjork, Rio Vista’s Dan Simpson and more.
The front gate will open at 5 pm this Saturday night with adult tickets costing $16, juniors $11 and kids will be free. All seating will be general admission. An early arrival to the track will be recommended as the crowd is expected to be very large with this also marking the season opener for the Placerville Speedway. The high banked ¼ mile is located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville. For more information on the track visit http://www.placervillespeedway.com
Up next: The Golden State Challenge Series will head to the Central Valley for the first time this season next Saturday March 29 with an event at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway. Reserved tickets are on sale now by calling the Thunderbowl Raceway office at (559) 688-0909
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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The 4 members of the Placerville Speedway "9-second club" are pictured here. In the spring of 2004 during a GSC event, Tim Kaeding, Dennis Moore Jr, Sean Becker and Andy Forsberg all did the trick. Williams Motorsports crew chief Ashley Smith is pictured accepting the plaque for DMJ.
Photo courtesy www.JohnsRacingPhotos.com
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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